Drooling in Babies: Causes, Development Stages, Treatments

Excessive baby drool? It's normal. Everything you've ever wanted to know about baby drool, but never thought to ask.

Drooling in Babies: Causes, Development Stages, Treatments
Drooling in Babies: Causes, Development Stages, Treatments

At the point when the saliva streams out of an individual's mouth unintentionally, it is known as drooling or slobbering. Every individual has six salivary glands that produce saliva for us and when abundance salivation is produced, we tend to slobber. Drooling is a common occurrence in babies. Infants start slobbering at around 3 months of age.

Is Drooling Common in Babies?

It is regular for kids to slobber and an infant may slobber for the initial two years of his life. As a baby isn't in complete control of the capacity of gulping and his mouth muscles, he may slobber, in any event, when he is snoozing. When your infant has begun slobbering, you can anticipate that this condition should proceed until he turns 18 to two years old.

Drooling in Babies between 1 and 24 Months of Age

Drooling in infants is common and it even aids in their physical development and growth. An infant may slobber marginally to excessively at various phases of his life and as he grows.

1. 1-3 Months

When a toddler is between 1 and 3 months of age, he may not salivate at all. Slobbering is uncommon as of now as a child is consistently in a face-up position.  But some children start drooling by 3 months of age.

2. 6 Months 

At this point, slobbering is marginally increasingly controlled however it proceeds with when the child jabbers or puts toys in his mouth. For the most part, coddles start getting teeth at this point, consequently they slobber.

3. 9 Months

By this time, toddlers start rolling over and crawling. They may keep on slobbering as they are as yet getting teeth. Getting teeth can invigorate slobbering.

4. 15 Months

By 15 months of age, most children start strolling and running, however, they may not slobber while they walk or run. Be that as it may, on the off chance that they enjoy exercises or tasks which require focus, they may slobber.

5. 18 Months

Children won't slobber while enjoying normal activities or in activities that advance fine motor skills. In any case, they may slobber while they are being encouraged or are dressing.

6. 24 Months

At this point, drooling is insignificant in babies. It is nearly non-existent.

What Are the Causes of Excessive Drooling in Infants?

Inordinate slobbering in children and babies is caused because of the accompanying reasons:

1. Teething

2. Open Mouth Posture

3. Staying Focused For Long

4. Certain kinds of food

5. Neurological Disorders

6. Side Effects of Medication

Treatment for Drooling

If your baby drools a lot, your child’s doctor will look for the following signs to come to a conclusion and recommend a treatment for the same.

• If your child can seal his lips properly and move the tongue around.
• If your child is swallowing normally.
• If he has a stuffy or blocked nose.
• If the child has a natural swallowing reflex.
• The posture of the child and whether his jaw is firm or not.

Post these evaluations; the following line of treatment is followed:

• Helping the child to practice a closed-lip stance.
• Reducing acidic food from the child’s diet.
• Working on the child’s capacity to swallow.
• Tightening of face muscles.
• Improving oral-sensory awareness

• Oral motor therapy to strengthen his jaw, cheeks, and lips.